Updated 6.29.23
I sent this entry to our buds Lori and Steve and they noticed the beef quantity was missing…DUH! Thus both recipes quantities have been adjusted since I entered 2 lbs. of beef when both should have read 3 lbs. Saaaawy!
So…let’s go…
In my early teens when I first started cooking meat sauce with spaghetti it was relatively simple. Saute’ some garlic and onions in any olive oil…add chopped beef and tomatoes and everyone was happy.
As time went by I became more educated about food and ingredients and technique. Like anyone, I simply wanted to make the best sauce I could and picked up on the way sauce was made by researching the many different ingredients and techniques used by the top chefs. Next came “Bolognese” and then “Ragu” and the vast list of ingredients used by so many chefs over the years still make it quite difficult to define a ragu or a bolognese sauce recipe. A perfect example: Top chef Marcella Hazan and her application of nutmeg to her famous bolognese recipe!.
Lets fast forward to 2010 when I decided to try something other than chopped beef and/or veal and pork, It all started after enjoying a beef braciole dinner with some friends.*** Although you can use pork for this recipe, we were served the flank steak version and we loved it. It was then that I decided to make what I would call a flank steak ragu*****
The traditional differences between Bolognese and Ragu is Ragu is made with much less tomato and for me it’s the addition of veal or beef stock in water to compensate for less tomato and it’s juices. Ragu also cooks a lot longer and on a much lower heat setting.
My Bolognese Sauce
- 1/2 cup diced carrot
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 2 lbs. chopped beef (I like to use 90%-10%)
- 1/4 cup EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
- 4 small (or 2 large) cloves garlic, sliced or pressed
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 #10 size can of Alta Cucina or Valoroso peeled plum tomatoes (from Restaurant Depot) or 3 28 oz. cans of San Marzano DOP Italain peeled plum tomatoes if you can’t get to Restaurant Depot (all tomatoes either sqeezed by hand for chunky style or pureed to a less chunky texture with a hand held immersion blender
- 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
BetsaPasta Flank Steak Ragu Recipe (As seen in Parmesan.com**)
The main ingredients that are pretty much staple for me in a Bolognese or Ragu are onions, carrots, celery (otherwise known as Mirepoix), EVOO, red or white wine, sometimes garlic sometimes no garlic, and tomatoes or tomato paste. Nowadays, there is no one recipe that defines a Bolognese or a Ragu…despite the “tradition”…since it’s a never ending quest by chefs to stimulate and surprise their patrons with recipes that manipulate and finesse all these ingredients to reach a level of individuality that sets them apart.
So here’s my latest Ragu for now…
Serves 6-8 as a main course
Ingredients:
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 lbs. chopped beef sirloin (90%lean/10% fat)
1 cup veal or beef stock. This is a flavor I enjoy from “More Than Gourmet”. You can use any veal or beef stock you enjoy
1 large carrot (coarse chopped)
1 medium onion (coarse chopped)
3 celery heart stalks (center cut coarse chopped)
2 large finely chopped or pressed cloves of fresh garlic or no garlic (up to you)
3/4 cup of white wine like pinot grigio
1 28 oz. can of really good tomatoes (“DOP San Marzano”) pureed or 1 quart of peeled fresh tomatoes pureed (more readily available in summer time
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 oz. sweet unsalted butter (added at the end of the cooking process)
3/4 cup Mascarpone’ (added at the end of the cooking process)
Technique:
-Add ground beef to your cooking pot with one cup of water and half of the extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) and squeeze the beef by hand for a few minutes to make the beef as smooth as possible. It’s not really a flavor thing, but more of a texture thing which I thought worked. Then cook on a medium high heat adding 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and stirring frequently until the meat is browned and there is very little or no liquid at the bottom of the pot.
-Lower the heat to medium and add the stock, all the vegetables, garlic and 1 more teaspoon of salt. Cook about 15 minutes stirring to prevent anything sticking to the bottom of the pot and until the onions are caramelized and the veggies are soft.
-Add the wine and cook for about 5-8 minutes until the wine is cooked off and little or no liquid is sitting at the bottom of the pot.
-Add the pureed tomatoes…reduce the heat to VERY low (between simmer and low) and cook for about 2 hours stirring often enough to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot.
-After 2 hours the sauce should be quite thick. Add the Mascarpone’ and butter and don’t be afraid to add a little water (up to 1/2 cup) if the sauce appears to get too dry before the two hours of cooking time is up. .
-When serving…simply stir together your sauce into your choice of pasta (I’m liking either a blend of shapes or a pappardelle is nice too) and adding the rest of the EVOO, a bit more salt and fresh pepper to taste. If you want, you can add some of the starched pasta water to the pot to adjust the moisture to your liking. Serve with plenty of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and Mangia bene’!
OH…one more thing. If you’re a basil lover, feel free to chiffonade some basil (I’d coat the basil with EVOO first) and top off the pasta along with your Parmigiano 🙂
As always…would love to hear from you with your thoughts, ideas or suggestions in the COMMENT box below.
Mangia bene’
Chef Bert
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